Who is Robert Mueller? 3 things you didn't know about the Russia investigation's special counsel

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There’s more to Robert Mueller than just his involvement in the Russia investigation. (AP)

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is widely recognized for his leadership over the federal government's investigation into the alleged collusion between President Trump’s presidential campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 election. But there's more to the 74-year-old than just his involvement in the high-profile probe.

Mueller, who took over the probe in May 2017, has a storied career that ranges from his time as a Vietnam Marine to later serving as an FBI director.

As the country anxiously awaits Mueller's report regarding the alleged Russian meddling, here are three things to know about him that may surprise you.

Mueller played hockey alongside John Kerry

Mueller, while a student at St. Paul’s school in New Hampshire, was involved in various sports and served as captain of the school’s soccer, lacrosse and hockey teams, according to Biography. But perhaps most notably during his time on the hockey team, Mueller’s fellow teammate was none other than John Kerry, who would later serve as the U.S. Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017.

Rice was once a running back for the Baltimore Ravens. He was suspended for two games by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in 2014 after a video surfaced that purportedly showed him dragging his then-fiancée Janay Palmer from an elevator at an Atlantic City casino.

Later, however, TMZ released a video that showed a fuller story of the incident. In the video, the football star is seen hitting Palmer, who is now Rice's wife, in the face, causing her to hit a handrail in the elevator. She was rendered unconscious as a result. His suspension was made indefinite after footage of the entire incident was made public.

"I was there. I lived it. I don't really need to relive it over and over again just to appease the world," she said.

"And I'm not here to force people to understand. It was never a thought whether I was going leave or not, because I knew that that wasn't him in that moment. This is somebody I've known since I was 15 years old. I knew that we had work to do, and I was willing to move forward and put in the work," Janay added.

Mueller was eventually hired by the NFL to investigate the case, primarily if the league had seen the full footage before it was made public. He ultimately determined the league had not.

He has a unique nickname at the Justice Department

Mueller — whose full name is Robert Swan Mueller III — reportedly has a unique nickname at the U.S. Justice Department in Washington, D.C., reports the Chicago Tribune: “Bobby Three Sticks.”